Due to its ties to the fossil fuel sector, climate activist Greta Thunberg canceled her presentation at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
On August 13, she was scheduled to join a gathering at the yearly festival.
However, she said that as a result of Baillie Gifford Investments’ sponsorship of the festival, she would no longer do so.
According to her, Baillie Gifford “invests heavily in the fossil fuel industry”.
Ms. Thunberg declared she did not want to be affiliated with the sector, accusing it of “greenwashing” through funding cultural events.
“Fossil fuel companies use greenwashing strategies, such as sponsoring cultural events, to maintain their social license to operate,” she continued.
“I am unable and unwilling to participate in activities that accept this kind of sponsorship.
With 2% of its client money invested in businesses with some business related to fossil fuels as opposed to a market average of 11%, Baillie Gifford, which has sponsored the book festival for 19 years, claimed it was not a large fossil fuel investor.
According to a company representative, several of these businesses are assisting in the transition to renewable energy, and some have already switched the majority of their operations away from fossil fuels.
“Right now, 5% of the money we receive from our customers is invested in businesses whose main goal is to create renewable energy solutions.
At the Edinburgh Playhouse, Ms. Thunberg was scheduled to give a speech at a gathering called It’s Not Too Late To Change The World.
Since she visited Glasgow in 2021 for COP26, it would have been her first public appearance in Scotland.
Her activism and her book, The Climate Book, were also scheduled to be discussed during the occasion.
The book festival’s director, Nick Barley, praised Ms. Thunberg for adhering to her ideals but insisted that the festival must also do the same.
The Book Festival, according to Mr. Barley, serves as a forum for discussion and debate on important contemporary problems, such as the climate disaster.
Without the ongoing support of organizations like Baillie Gifford, we would not be able to offer that platform.
We firmly believe Baillie Gifford is a key component of the response to the climate disaster. They are early investors in progressive, climate-friendly businesses, contributing capital to their expansion.
“Especially to the hundreds of young climate campaigners who we had invited to come along because of their hard work to change the system in Scotland,” he said in his apology to those who purchased tickets for the event and will receive a full refund.
When Ms. Thunberg was 15 years old, she started holding climate change protests outside Sweden’s parliament. Her actions sparked similar “school strikes” around Europe, the US, and Australia.
She has regularly criticized international leaders for what she sees as a lack of action about the climate emergency, and earlier this year at a coal protest in Germany, she was held by police.
